


Better With Two

by ivyspinners



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Humor, Found Families, Minor Chirrut Îmwe/Baze Malbus, Nonverbal Communication
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-24 02:45:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14946119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivyspinners/pseuds/ivyspinners
Summary: "The Alliance might lose her again when she's back," Jyn said. "Knowing your administration."He snorted. "They might. She won't let them."--The best couples don't judge each other. They judge other people together.





	Better With Two

Scarif shrank into the size of a marble as they left atmo, with no small degree of turbulence, and one determined imperial craft giving chase.

"Sorry!" Bodhi yelled, voice a little slurred. "I'm better with two hands."

Cassian lay half-dozing across her lap, more affected by painkillers than Bodhi. She raked shaking fingers through his hair, head spinning every time she moved; he didn't vanish. His hand came up to touch her elbow.

"I would offer, but I don't know the controls," Chirrut said. "And Baze is better manning our guns."

As if in proof, a tight circle of plasma bolts hit what must have been the engine of the TIE striker, lighting it up from within.

"Poor evasion skills," Baze muttered. Chirrut laughed.

The ship shuddered again. A synsteel can of nutritional mush dropped off the shelf, narrowly missing what remained of Kaytoo's head.

"You can do it," Cassian said out loud.

With a warning creak, the ship jumped into hyperspace.

+

They arrived before the Death Star's plans did, then--an agent called Kallus informed them--possibly before the plans ever would.

"She'll get the plans here," Cassian said, in the ensuing silence.

Baze looked up, then down. Chirrut smiled without humor. Bodhi punched the wall beside him with his good hand, then hissed, sounding more angry than hurt.

Jyn watched Cassian. He sat hunched over, head bowed like weights pressed on his injured back. She didn't know Leia Organa, but she knew Cassian. Their odds of surviving Scarif had been infinitesimal. Yet here they were.

"The Alliance might lose her again when she's back," Jyn said. "Knowing your administration."

Cassian swiveled to take her in, eyes wide. After a beat, he snorted. "They might. She won't let them."

+

Ten minutes after the Death Star exploded, Jyn's throat unclogged enough to let her speak. She'd sagged against Cassian, knees weak, but unwilling to sink to the ground in front of so many eyes--even if no one would pay attention.

"Beautiful," Jyn murmured at the wreck of above their heads.

"Yes," Cassian said. He stared into orbit, flashes of the fire lighting up his eyes, but then he looked down at her and smiled.

He really did have an unfairly nice mouth. And nice eyes. And nice--everything. She wanted to kiss him.

Cheeks burning, Jyn focused back on the sky and thought violent, triumphant thoughts. But she didn't stop leaning against him. He didn't pull away.

+

Some teams' mixers, intended to boost morale, were worse than others.

She cradled her drink, sipped rather than chugged, and watched, Cassian a steady presence beside her.

Luke Skywalker sat on the table surrounded by his squadron, three times as many drinks as there were people in the group. He lifted his mug, waved it as if drawing a flight path, then opened his other fist. The table shook with laughter, and Bodhi made a rude gesture that left Luke flushed, then dropped it before anyone else could notice.

One of the humans--an ex-pilot--glared at Bodhi from across the table. He said something, sneering, and Bodhi faltered.

Jyn's lip curled; in the corner of her eye, Cassian's fingers stilled on the table.

One of the pilots shoved him; the others turned their backs. One nudged Bodhi, drawing him into an animated conversation.

"He's lucky they're not more drunk," Jyn murmured. Cassian made a quiet noise of assent.

Chirrut had started the evening--or 2000 ship time, to be precise--engaged in conversation with Leia. She'd moved away since, and in that time, his table had filled with shot glasses and a string of opponents who sank into an alcoholic haze before Chirrut so much as yawned. Most weren't quite fast enough to realize that Chirrut hadn't actually downed a drop, and the rest were too intoxicated.

The newest was a female Togruta with the bluest skin Jyn had ever seen. Her lekku twitched as Chirrut threw back his shot; then her eyes widened, darting to his sleeve.

Jyn nudged Cassian's knee. He didn't seem to move a muscle, but his eyes fell to Chirrut's table, and she felt his knuckles graze her thigh in response. Yes, the Togruta would make a good recruit.

"You going to stay there by yourselves?" Leia said, later. She'd made a round of the room, leaving laughter in her wake--or angry swearing, in the case of one smuggler--and finally arrived in their concealed corner.

"I'm good," Cassian said, leaning back, giving off a perfect picture of ease.

Jyn shrugged. She wasn't about to move, when she was so warm and comfortable, and she could feel Cassian's chest rise and fall.

Leia looked between them and rolled her eyes.

+

Some missions were better than others.

"I don't remember your team being this large," Cassian said, as they streamed by him going down the ramp.

"We had some unexpected recruits," Jyn said.

Someone shrieked in the main hanger, and one of Jyn's recruits shoved past her, falling in his haste to get to his lover. He threw himself headfirst into her, and they both tumbled onto melting snow. They hadn't returned to base in three months.

Cassian didn't turn; he watched her, lips quirked, eyes steady.

Jyn turned to head back into the storage compartments. His footsteps thudded after her.

She ducked around Han Solo, who was muttering under his breath as he stomped down the ramp. A familiar voice outside pipped up, "I thought the journey to Arkanis was twelve standard hours," and she heard Han answer, " _Sorry_ , princess--" before she tuned them out. Nothing new.

"I have something for you," Jyn said, opening the storage compartments.

Cassian bent to peer inside.

He stared for so long her heart started to thud. When he straightened again, the look on his face made every inch of her skin flush hot.

"There were droid factories on Arkanis," Jyn said. She shifted, caught by his attention, a glowing star in her chest. "They won't notice one missing."

Cassian stepped closer to her. His hands came up to cup her face. If Jyn had imagined herself flushed before, if she had thought her heart was pounding before, it was nothing to the rabbit beat it reached now.

"Thank you," he breathed, and buried his face in her hair. His breathing was ragged, his hard frame shivering against hers.

She pressed a kiss against his neck, felt his entire body shudder. One of his arms circled around her waist, tugging her close, surrounding her with warmth. She'd been so cold in the past three months. Cassian was hot to the touch.

When he drew away, he didn't go far. His gaze dropped to her mouth, but he hesitated, glancing up again for confirmation.

Cassian's lips were as soft as she'd imagined, and when he slanted his mouth to fit better, Jyn decided to ignore the one remaining recruit trying to tiptoe around them, and threw her arms around Cassian's neck.

+

Half the barracks lost power, plunging the temperature to a bone-chilling forty degrees below freezing point. Jyn wasn't about to face mortal peril when there wasn't anyone shooting at her, no matter how careful she'd been so far to take things slow.

"Oh good," Kaytoo said when she showed up outside Cassian's door holding a bundle of blankets, which frankly hadn't been what she'd expected. "My power stores are running low."

"I'll keep him safe," Jyn promised, patting his metal chassis as he stomped past her, out into the corridor. It hummed, warm beneath her fingers.

"Humans function sub-optimally below 37 degrees," Kaytoo said. "Another source of warmth is needed, and you are the best choice. Cassian's temperature rises 1.5 degrees around you."

Jyn grinned--or maybe that was just her teeth pulling wide and chattering--at the ball of fur-trimmed parka and blankets she thought was Cassian. Despite the chill, there was a datapad in his hands. She tugged his heavy door closed, and faltered, the exertion making her heart pound in her throat. "That sounds sensible."

Cassian's face popped out from his blue hood. Jyn made a valiant effort not to shiver, but it obviously didn't fool Cassian, because he was making a space in his pile of blankets and motioning for her almost before the words were out of her mouth.

"You don't have to," he said, once she'd burrowed beneath his blankets and large overcoat.

"No. But I do want to warm you up," Jyn said, pressing a kiss to his throat.

He tugged her closer, drawing her in for a proper kiss. "Me first," he murmured against her skin.

+

If Baze had a credit for every situation that made him want to roll his eyes, he would be able to fund the Rebellion on that income alone.

In the corner of the room, Cassian and Jyn surveyed the rest of the party. Cassian sat straighter, Jyn looser, but they watched with the same cool, attentive eyes. He could see Cassian's arm stretch to land around Jyn's waist.

"They think they're subtle," he grumbled.

"Let them watch and judge," his husband of many years said cheerfully. "There's nothing better for bonding."

+

fin

**Author's Note:**

> This idea was kicked off 1.5 years ago by [this post by anghraine](http://anghraine.tumblr.com/post/156745830048/ngl-one-of-my-favourite-things-about-imagining-up), but has kind of gone adjacent to it instead.
> 
> Feedback much appreciated.


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